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30.06.2015 Disaster

Landslide jolts Medig valley

30.06.2015 LISTEN
By Christopher Fon Achobang

Mbengwi North West Cameroons: The rumbling of rocks from a landslide in Kob (rock) could be heard from 10 kilometers across Medig valley and beyond on Sunday 28 June 2015. The over 20 members of the Bakob community in Njinibi had just returned from church and were descending to Njinibi for different meetings when they heard the loud noise.

“I was already around Ngunge on my way to my Jangi (social meeting to save money for development) in Njinibi. I heard a loud sound which I first thought was thunder. When I turned round to the direction of the sound, I saw smoke coming from around where our compound is supposed to be. Then I realized rocks were falling from the hill in Gudom above Bakob.” Said Quinta Foncham, wife of the quarter head of Bakob.

Matthew Foncham, quarter head of Bakob, is one of the few residents around the rocky Kob cliff still living there. Most of the Bakob residents, more than 98 percent of the population had moved to other parts of Cameroon and beyond.

“As the rocks were falling fear gripped me.” Said Quinta. “I immediately thought about my 5 years old daughter who was alone in the house. I rushed home and she was not there. I later found her in the house of my neighbor 300 meters away.” Continued Quinta.

Eni Precious, Quinta’s 5 years old daughter was babysitting her sibling when we got to their modest brick house perched on rocks. The mother had gone to the farm near the base of the landslide just a day before.

The rocks strewn around Bakob were from an earlier landslide occurring over 450 years ago. Nobody in the community suspected the other rocks hanging from the cliff were going to be tumbling down anytime soon.

The soil in Kob is loose volcanic ash. David Wood, a human rights researcher from Sheffield University avoided falling because he was used to moving on snow.

“It feels like skiing. The earth is so slippery.” David said.

We cut short our visit to the landslide site because more rocks were still falling from the cliff. The heavy rains are just beginning. More rocks will slide down the hillside. There doesn’t seem to be any immediate threat to the lives of the over 20 people left in Bakob. Those left are glued to the fertile volcanic soils providing them with healthy cocoyam, once a staple in Meta.

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